Ferrari fans got to see Lewis Hamilton at the team’s Maranello factory for the first time on Monday.
The Tifosi had to be patient after discovering last February that Lewis Hamilton would be swapping Mercedes for Ferrari.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur’s team gave Ferrari’s fans plenty to cheer about in 2024 as they waited for Hamilton to arrive.
Charles Leclerc won two emotional races in Monaco and Monza, while Carlos Sainz showed that he hadn’t thrown in the towel despite discovering last winter that he was going to be dropped.
The Constructors’ Championship went down to the wire and if it weren’t for a faultless performance from Lando Norris at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton would be joining the reigning champions.
Instead, Hamilton has two goals to aim for in 2025: winning his eighth world championship and helping Ferrari end their 17-year wait for a Constructors’ title.
Hamilton has already completed his first day at Ferrari as he looks forward to the season starting, but fans are still waiting for their first glimpse of the 40-year-old in one of the team’s famous cars.
Ferrari are planning Hamilton’s first test to take place on Wednesday, subject to the weather conditions.
This has been organised for their private Fiorano circuit to the west of Bologna, although Ferrari are worried about how many fans may arrive to try and see Hamilton in action.
This is already starting to happen and journalist Piergiuseppe Donadoni has shared a video of a huge fan banner that’s been erected outside the Fiorano circuit, sending a message to Hamilton and Leclerc.
It’s a literal sign of just how excited Ferrari fans are about Hamilton to start working with the team in his 18th Formula 1 season.
Ferrari fans send ‘welcome’ message to Lewis Hamilton at private Fiorano circuit
Posting on X, Donadoni tweeted a video of some of the fans at the circuit and said: “Today there were also fans at the edge of the Fiorano track, not only at the entrance to the SF, with a welcome banner to @LewisHamilton and a greeting to @Charles_Leclerc.”
The message on the banner read: “Welcome Hami 44! Sug a la pista taca el bolide. Ale Ale Forza!”
This message to Hamilton translates to: “Welcome Hami 44! Take the racing car to the track! Come on!”
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Hamilton has already impressed Ferrari fans and greeted many of them outside Maranello yesterday.
However, to really win them over, he’ll need to start delivering results as soon as the season commences.
Charles Leclerc could capitalise on Lewis Hamilton hype at Ferrari
Hamilton is understandably attracting all the attention in Italy and around the world from Formula 1 fans.
His Instagram post announcing his arrival at Enzo Ferrari’s house on Monday sits on just under five million likes.
Even Lando Norris sent Hamilton a message after seeing the seven-time world champion looking extremely smart at a rainy Maranello.
READ MORE: Ferrari fans left very impressed by one thing after spotting Lewis Hamilton at Maranello for the first time
This means that as soon as Ferrari arrive at pre-season testing in Bahrain and then at the first race of the season in Australia, everyone will want to see how fast Hamilton is.
It could therefore be the perfect time for Leclerc to prove that he’s not going to be number two to Hamilton just because he’s garnered more attention.
It would be an impressive achievement if Hamilton managed to outqualify Leclerc in Melbourne and the Monegasque driver’s race pace has gone from strength to strength making him one of the most formidable drivers on the grid.
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